Due to metal and component fatigue over many cycles of use, it is not unusual for electrical outlets to lose the mechanical holding and, thus, the electrical connection characteristics they once had. This results in plugs that may make only intermittent connections or that may fall out of their respective outlets altogether.
To date, the common means of regaining electrical contact between the plug of a common appliance (e.g., a toaster, a hair dryer, a vacuum cleaner, an electric shaver) and a worn out electrical wall outlet is to physically bend the prongs of the appliance plug outwardly until an electrical connection can be effected. This is occasionally unsafe and quite often ineffective, resulting in disconnection of the electrical power by one happenstance or another due to the looseness of the fit between the plug and the wall or other type of outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,797, issued to W. J. MILLER on Jun. 22, 1948, discloses an electric plug adapter having a cam portion contact formed in the leg or contact prong of a standard electric plug. The cam portion is likely to make physical and electrical contact with an outlet that has been worn.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,491,586, issued to L. SCHOTT on Dec. 20, 1949, discloses an adapter for wall sockets. The adapter is a thin insulating body having resilient prongs and rearwardly folded extensions, which are placed in the wall outlet for providing a tighter connection through spring tension of the prongs. The adapter is not transportable with the electric plug of any particular appliance; it requires a substantially permanent installation at the outlet.